Central PA acoustic punk fave Koji is coming out east for a gig at the Voltage Lounge, bringing along The Homeless Gospel Choir, Steve Layman, and Space Cadets to open the show. His most recent release is this year’s Keeping Count 7″. The gig is all ages, and more information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.

World Cafe Live will be graced by folk three-piece The Stray Birds tonight, accompanied by Miss Tess & The Talkbacks. The soulful vocals and twangy arrangements from this year’s Magic Fire are an ideal way to ease into the weekend. As always, check out more information about the show at the XPN Concert Calendar.

Philly favorites Marah return to the stage on their home turf once again, headlining tonight at Underground Arts. Ever since they’ve blasted onto the scene in the late 90s/early 2000s, the band has garnered an international following for music that spans roots to bar rock to glam-tinged pop and folk. Don’t miss out, and be sure to go to the XPN Concert Calendar for more information.

The gospel harmonies and rock and roll fury of Durham, NC family band Delta Rae brought down the house at this summer’s XPoNential Music Festival. The band was showcasing its second album, After the Fire, released in April. Below, check out videos of “Dance In The Graveyards” and “Chasing Twisters” via VuHaus, listen to their entire set here and check out photos from the band’s recent show at World Cafe Live at The Queen here.

Missed out on the festivities this past weekend? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. As entertaining as it was seeing some of our favorite bands play some of our favorite songs at XPN Fest, it was equally fun seeing them play some of their own favorite songs. Without fail, there is always a fantastic collection of covers played by the various performers throughout the festival, and we’re here to break down the best of the weekend for you.

Day 1

Perhaps sensing that the day could use a start to keep festival goers on their heels, Havertown singer Cole Redding jumped into a surprisingly on point rendition of Britney Spears (almost) classic “Baby One More Time” (7:25 mark).

JD McPherson slowed down his groove-filled set for a cover of English singer-songwriter and Elvis Costello collaborator Nick Lowe’s “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day” (13:40 mark).

Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear had all of the Marina Stage singing along with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”. Would it surprise you to know that “Dreams” wasn’t the only Fleetwood Mac song covered at XPN Fest? Us either. Stay tuned. (39:40 mark)

Dawes capped the night off with not only being able to play a full set at XPN Fest (!!!) but also giving us not one but two covers! First they gave us a cover of The Waterboys’ “Fisherman’s Blues” before gracing us with Billy Joel’s classic “Big Shot” in their encore.

Day 2

Swedish folk sisters First Aid Kit delivered one of the most promising sets of the festival, and that’s saying a lot for the young duo. One of the biggest highlights of their River Stage set was their cover of one of their favorite songwriters of all time, Paul Simon. Essentially the same can be said for everyone in regards to Simon, but nevertheless, their take on “America” had the entire festival swaying along.

Latin singer Gina Chavez gave her Hispanic set a bit of American-inspired flavor with Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” (17:50 mark). Her version has the chance to go down as the second most popular cover of the song (sorry, Cake’s cover will always have my heart).

Upon closing things out at Wiggins Park Saturday evening, Delta Rae teased fans with a number of covers, such as Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon”, MJ’s “Billie Jean”, and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, before closing their set with Fleetwood’s “The Chain”.

Day 3

Possibly the only cover to rival “Baby One More Time” in intrigue was Kopecky taking a crack at The Weeknd’s hit “Can’t Feel My Face” (20:40 mark). They also finished their set by jamming to Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” (36:10 mark). I wasn’t kidding when I said Fleetwood Mac was a consistent theme at this year’s XPN Fest.

UK singer-songwriter George Ezra, a 22-year-old kid with a grown man’s voice, gave fans a double shot of other’s favorites of his, performing Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” and Macy Gray’s “I Try”.

Later on at Susquehanna Bank, Grace Potter gave a nod to her recent touring with The Rolling Stones by giving her own rendition of “Gimme Shelter” to cap off a rocking set by her and the Nocturnals.

Return XPNFest-ers Delta Rae played a high-energy set to close out Wiggins Park on XPNFest day two as the sun set over the Delaware.

With their April LP After It All in tow, the band’s energy was palpable from the get-go. The charging “Outlaws” opened the set, “Cold Day in Heaven” had a touch of 80s synthesizer and pop hooks. Dipping back to their second album for “Morning Comes” riled up the crowd to clap along, while “Bottom of the River” was re-imagined with an intense instrumental opening before the thundering drums kicked in.

The band’s 15-song set featured a number of covers teased throughout the set, from Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” to Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance WIth Somebody.” The set concluded with another Mac selection: “The Chain,” an appropriate pick given their aux percussion of choice. Check out photos from the show and the setlist below!

Setlist
Outlaws
Run
Morning Comes
Cold Day in Heaven
Bottom of the River
Chasing Twisters
Any Better Than This?
My Whole Life Long
I Will Never Die
Scared
If I Loved You
All Good People
Chandelier
Dance in the Graveyard

With nothing more than a kick drum beat and simple piano melody, Delta Rae‘s new song “All Good People” creates a very emotional and touching memorial not only the Charleston shooting victims but to all those affected by violence.

The song shows a sense of self-awareness with powerful lyrics like “We can’t hold our breath forever when our brothers cannot breathe,” and the group’s incredible, gospel-inspired vocal delivery hammers the message home: if you don’t speak up, you’re part of the problem. Proceeds of the song are going to the Emanuel AMA Church in Charleston.

Delta Rae’s latest album After It All is available now and you can catch them this summer at the XPoNential Music Festival. For tickets and more information, visit the festival website here.